Netanyahu discusses peace process with King Abdullah in Amman visit

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced visit to Amman to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

At Thursday’s meeting, the two leaders discussed the current round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu stressed the important role played by Jordan in the efforts to arrive at a peace agreement. He also stressed the importance of security arrangements, which also would take Jordan’s interests into consideration in a peace deal.

The meeting comes a week after Abdullah met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and days after a meeting between Abdullah and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Abdullah urged Netanyahu to “build on the opportunity made available by the consolidated efforts of the U.S. secretary of state to achieve tangible progress in the peace negotiations,” according to a statement from the palace cited in news reports.

Abdullah and Netanyahu also “discussed an array of economic cooperation between both countries in a number of fields as well as other regional matters.” according to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.